Fullmetal Alchemist: Siblinghood
by ElinaLin
Summary: Series of one-shots following Brotherhood timeline. The Elric Siblings are strange indeed. A boy with automail limbs, a suit of armor, and a girl who never speaks. So young, but already they are involved with military. One would wonder what kind of life they lead. Also posted in AO3.
1. Lost Body, Lost Limbs, Lost Voice

1. Lost Body, Lost Limbs, Lost Voice

"... this can't be happening..."

The golden eyed boy shuddered involuntarily at the pain that snaked from his left leg. He had almost passed out in shock when he realized that everything from the knee down was gone. Taken as a price.

Oh what mistake he had made.

"Damn it..." his eyes locked at the lost leg. "I've lost it!" he stated the obvious, and somehow it made him feel defeated. "It's gone! What have I done?!" He fell sideways, eyes watering in the pain of his bleeding leg. The transmutation circle was still glowing blue.

"Somebody help me... Somebody..." he whimpered, then his eyes snapped open. Eiryn! What happened to her? And what about Alphonse? Where were his siblings? He snapped his head sideways, using the light from the transmutation circle illuminating the room to locate his siblings. He found Eiryn right away, and felt his throat clogging up at the sight of her curling up in a circle on the floor. "Ryn... Ryn! Eiryn!"

The little girl's head moved and their eyes met. Edward froze at the fear and panic in her eyes. Her hands were on her throat, and he could see trickles of blood seeping through her delicate fingers. "Ryn... Are you alright? Say something!"

She opened her mouth to answer, but she froze as the lights of the transmutation died away. Her golden eyes widened at what was in the center of the circle, and she moved a trembling hand to point at it. Edward quickly whipped his head to check.

Hope fluttered in his chest. Perhaps they were successful after all. Perhaps she was really there. Perhaps they could see their mother's smile again, perhaps they could hear her voice again, perhaps they could sing together with her again. Without realizing it, his mouth chanted, "Please, Mom... Mom... Please..."

Then reality struck. That... thing... in the middle of the circle was by no means human. Spindly arm reached towards him and oh, all he had to do to stop himself from running away...

"No... This is wrong..." Ed couldn't help but whimper. "This is... This isn't what we wanted..." Then the thought of his brother struck him. He'd seen his sister, she was virtually fine, he didn't need to worry about her - at least for now. But what about Alphonse? What he saw before he was sucked into that world of white... Alphonse...

His breath caught, once again, when he saw a pile of empty clothes. Alphonse? ...gone? He choked, "Alphonse! Alphonse!" as the reality, the severity of what he had done struck. Alphonse was gone. All of his body was gone. It was the toll that he paid. "This is all my fault..." a bloodstained hand clenched. "Alphonse!"

He struggled, wanting to stand, but fell again when he realized he had only one foot to stand on. A hand fell onto his shoulder and he jolted, looking up to see his sister staring at him. He gulped, trying to calm himself down and ignore the monstrosity he had created. "Eiryn... I need your help. Alphonse is gone, and it's all my fault. Please... Help me drag that suit of armor over there... The one with spikes..."

Eiryn's eyes questioned him silently, and Edward wondered inwardly why she didn't speak. "I will get him back, Eiryn. I'll bring Alphonse back."

Wordlessly, the girl nodded, one hand still clutching her throat, and patted his shoulder once. Then she bolted and dragged the suit of armor. It fell with a deafening clang, its head coming off and rolling on the floor. Slowly, Edward dragged himself to the armor, reaching towards its hollowed inside. "You won't take him too," he hissed in pain. He drew an array on its metal surface using his blood. "Give him back," he said once he was done, preparing himself for the transmutation he was going to do, barely realizing that Eiryn was bandaging his left leg. "He's my brother... Take my leg. Take my arm. Take my heart, take anything, you can have it! Just give him back. He's my little brother, he's all we've had left!"

His hands clapped together forcefully, and blue alchemical lights once again lit the room. Eiryn gasped in surprise, wondering just how Edward had been able to do it. Silently she wondered if maybe she could do the same.

Then his right arm started to decompose.

Eiryn gasped aloud in horror. The alchemical lights died. Edward propped himself up, slouching defeatedly, his left hand clutching the now gone right arm. Eiryn's reached out to him, and silent tears fell. Just what had he done? What had all of them done? Why were they stupid enough to do this? Human transmutation was a taboo for a reason... And now they knew exactly why.

"... Brother...!"

Her head snapped to look at what had made the sound. The armor. It moved. Eiryn's eyes grew wide. Edward. He had done it. Her brother was a bloody genius!

Edward gave a weak laugh, "Hehehe... Sorry. I can only transmute your soul with my right arm."

The armor - Alphonse - gasped. "Why did you have to push yourself?" He pulled Edward toward his embrace, and the young boy suddenly looked very small. Then the armor's head turned to Eiryn, red glowing orbs burning in anger. "Why didn't you stop him?"

She flinched back involuntarily. Why? She didn't really know. But Edward had looked so desperate yet determined, and she was so lost in confusion and fear herself, and she didn't know what to do, she had mindlessly followed Edward's request without a second thought... But if she had stopped him, wouldn't Alphonse be gone for real?

"Don't scold her, Al... I asked her to help," Edward wheezed. The pain was too much for him to handle. His head dipped and thunked against Al's chest plate.

"Brother?" Alphonse called in panic. "Brother! Edward!" He turned towards Eiryn. "Ryn, come on! We need to bring him to Granny and Winry. They'll be able to help!"

Eiryn nodded her head vigorously. The three siblings soon were running towards the Rockbell's home, slicing through the darkness of the night. Soon they reached their destination, and Eiryn banged loudly at the door.

It opened. Pinako stared in horror as Alphonse lowered Edward down. "Granny... Help."

Everything passed in a blur. Edward was soon treated as best as Pinako and Winry could, and soon he was lying unconscious from the painkiller they gave him on a bed the Rockbells used for patients that may come. They also checked on Eiryn as Alphonse told them what happened. Pinako, Winry and Alphonse were surprised seeing the angry gash on Eiryn's neck, but even though it was bleeding nothing life-treathening was found. Once her neck was in bandages, she was deemed as good as new.

"I'm going to see the room, Al, Ryn. You two stay here. Winry, make sure Ed is stable," Pinako said as she opened the door.

"Alright, Granny," Winry answered. Soon the three young children were locked in suffocating silence. Alphonse glanced at his sister, who was still clutching her throat and refusing to speak. He sighed.

"Ryn..." he began. "That transmutation. Brother paid the price with his leg. I did it with... my whole body... And what about you? What did you lose?"

Eiryn moved and looked up at her brother, tears glistening in her eyes, hands locked on her throat still. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, but no voice came out. She gritted her teeth in frustration and gave a silent cry.

"Eiryn... it's your vocal chords, isn't it?"

Tears spilled. Eiryn sobbed and nodded. Her lips moved to create a string of sentences that went unheard. She knew full well that she might never be able to speak ever again.

* * *

><p>AN: so this story is inspired by the 3rd episode of 4 Koma Theatre, in which Arakawa-Sensei made a joke that Al's head is actually occupied by the soul of the Elrics' little sister. I changed the toll for her to her voice, though, so that it's diverse, since everyone else's tolls is all different. On a side note, Eiryn's name is pronounced Ay-reen (ay as in way).

And, eh-hemm. I believe an explanation is needed for some people that are following me.

I said before in another fic of mine (A Father's Legacy) that I will be posting all of my stories in my account in AO3. This I have not done. The reason is because I was busy preparing for said exchange program to France that I mentioned. Well, I'm already in France now. I should be able to upload everything. But I was being stupid and I stupidly left my stupid laptop back in my home country. I'm currently using my tablet to write this. I can't reupload my stories anywhere, I'm afraid, and since I can't work on A Father's Legacy without my notes back home, well. Indefinite hiatus. Please forgive me.

But that problem aside, I really hope that this story will appeal to you. This is based on Brotherhood, though many of the dialogues will be taken from the manga instead since it's easier to track. It will follow the Brotherhood closely, but there may be some side stories I came up with in later chapters.

I'd be really grateful if you can leave a review. It's going to make my day.


	2. City of Heresy

2. City of Heresy

"Are you guys street performers?"

The juice in the braided boy's mouth was spat rather gloriously. At his side a golden haired, golden eyed girl much like the boy next to her slid a handkerchief calmly. She then flipped her long hair - the top half pulled into an elegant braid by the sides and the lower half flowed freely like a river, her sideswept bangs fluttering and the small spike that pointed to the sky twitching in interest. She grinned at the man who asked the question before she pulled three knives towards her and began juggling.

"Ryn, stop that," the boy who had just spat his drink said after wiping his mouth. Then his attention shifted towards the barkeeper. "Okay, pops, what part of us look like street performers?"

"Well, there's a girl juggling knives, for one thing," the man began and the girl stuck out her tongue at the glaring boy before putting the knives down. "And I keep looking, but that's all you could be."

The suit of armor at the other side of the braided boy moved slightly towards him, creating a creaking noise that couldn't go unnoticed. They soon were engaged in a conversation about the town's very own Father Cornello, the miracle worker, but the braided boy didn't seem all that interested, the girl opted to poke at her food, and the armor... he didn't know about the armor.

The group soon turned to leave, but the armor accidentally bumped his head and sent the barkeeper's beloved radio crashing to the ground.

"AH!" the barkeeper yelled. "Hey! Don't cause any problems here!"

And then the armored man (boy?) fixed it right up. Like magic. Like a miracle.

Like Father Cornello.

Except the short blond boy and the armor denied it easily, saying that it was only alchemy. The girl, still hasn't uttered a word, nodded in certainty. After the series of yells the boy gave for being called small, he - Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist - went with Rose along with the suit of armor and the quiet girl to the Church of Leto, seeking audience with the father.

The barkeeper sighed. Somehow, he felt like the three would bring a storm together with them.

* * *

><p>"This is human transmutation... The bodies of the sinners who has crossed the God's domain!"<p>

Rose and the father stared at the metal limbs attached to Edward's body, silent. Edward discarded his red coat dramatically and raised his automail limb. "Come and get some, you third rate. I'll show you what's different between the two of us!"

The room was locked in a state of silent for a moment, before a loud noise of a marker scratching against paper was heard. And the blonde girl suddenly held up a paper with big red seven on it towards Edward.

"Eiryn, I'd say the score's six, myself," Alphonse commented. "The dramatic flair is alright, as usual, but the coat makes him look ragged."

The girl, Eiryn, held her chin on the tips of her fingers thoughtfully before nodding in agreement.

"What the - are you guys seriously scoring me about my appearance now?!" Edward couldn't belp but yell. Eiryn's response was to grin.

Father Cornello stared still at the automail limbs and muttered, "I see... I see. It was quite the mystery as to why a brat was called the "Fullmetal", but this... So this is why." He turned to Rose. "Rose, these people, they have done something that is absolutely forbidden to alchemists: they have performed human transmutation. They've committed the greatest crime! And for that reason, they have been punished. Some body parts or all of it was taken from them."

The look of shock in Rose face was both unbearable and completely predictable. Then she turned to Eiryn. "But... No! That can't be. Eiryn looks perfectly fine!"

"The price taken for a sin is not always seen, dear child," said Father Cornello. "What is it that you lost, girl? What sort of mostrosity did you turn into? Is one of your foot metal too? Are you missing your internal organ?"

Eiryn stared at him before her hands moved to untie the choker she wore around her neck. A scar immediately greeted the sight of anyone who were bothered enough to look. The girl opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, pointing to her throat, before putting the choker back on.

Father Cornello laughed. "So that's your punishment. Now you've all turned into bloody cripples. A boy without body, a crippled boy with two missing limbs, a mute girl. God sure is ruthless to stupid people!"

All of a sudden a loud bang interrupted his laugh. A bullet sailed and hit the wall behind the fake father, nearly missing his head. Father Cornello froze, staring at the girl who now held a handgun in her hands. She gave a hard glare, even more piercing than Edward's, before motioning to her head. The message was clear;_ next time, it will be your head._

"Ryn, calm down," Alphonse put his hand on Eiryn's shoulder. She tensed for a moment before relaxing and strapping the gun back in its holster, hidden beneath the black jacket she was wearing.

Rose was trembling. She asked quietly, "How?"

Slowly, Alphonse began to narrate how they met their loss. "... we were positive that we could create life. She was kind... She really was a kind mother. All we wanted to do was just to see our mother's smile, just one more time. Even if that alchemy was forbidden, we learned alchemy just to be able to do that one thing.

"The transmutation was a failure."

Rose gasped softly, eyes never leaving the three siblings. Eiryn and Edward both had their eyes on the ground, bangs obscuring their faces. Alphonse was unreadable, but there was a defeated air about him.

"Brother lost his left leg in the transmutation. I remember I saw Eiryn falling while clutching her throat, her mouth open but I couldn't hear her voice. And I lost my entire body. Then, I lost consciousness... When I opened my eyes again, I was this armored body, and amidst the sea of blood... Brother was there. His leg gone. His arm gone. Eiryn was next to him crying soundlessly. While Brother was suffering from the loss of his left leg, he traded his right arm to transmute my soul into this armor."

Ed gave a pained, sarcastic smile. "Hm. This is the mess that happens when people try to resurrect a human being. This is what resurrecting a person means, Rose. Do you have guts tl do it? Do you?!"

Rose flinched.

But Father Cornello wasn't finished yet. "And then you joined the military, Edward Elric!" and once again words spewed from his mouth, accusing the siblings of desiring philosopher's stone to resurrect their mother perfectly this time. Eiryn gave a loud sigh as Edward explained that they only wanted their original bodies back. Alphonse demanded once more for the stone, and of course the father had to transmute his cane into a machine gun.

Eiryn sighed again as they fled the room. Honestly, Ed's mission could be such a handful sometimes.

* * *

><p>"It was a fake?!"<p>

"Yeah, just another dead end. And here I thought I could finally restore you..." Edward gave a sigh. "And Ryn's voice, too."

Eiryn shook her head and jabbed her finger at Alphonse, then held up two fingers and pointed at Ed, and then held up three fingers as she pointed at herself. She smiled lightly.

"Yeah, okay, you told us that so many times already," Ed smiled. "Al first, then me, and your voice is the last priority, right?"

Eiryn nodded, remembering what she had written so many years ago on a piece of paper to give to her brothers. _Big Brother Al has to have his body back first. That's the first priority! Then Big Brother Ed needs his limbs back. After all that is achieved, I can get my vocal chords back. I can live without a voice. I'll survive. But you two will have your bodies back!_

"I'm more worried about you, though, Brother. Automail causes a lot of problems," Al commented. Ryn gave him a look. _Like being a suit of armor doesn't cause problems? _Al laughed a bit at the look she gave him.

"Well, we can't help it now," Edward stood up and dusted his pants. "We'll look somewhere else."

They moved to leave, but a soft "...No..." stopped them. The three siblings turned to see Rose sitting on the cold ground, completely defeated.

"He said he could bring him back..." she sobbed. Tears streamed down her face. "What am I supposed to do now?! How am I supposed to live now?!" Her eyes moved toward Edward, begging, pleading. "Tell me!"

Edward's answer was short. "Think about that on your own." The begging look in Rose's eyes changed into shock. Then Edward continued, "Stand up and walk. Move on. After all, you have two perfect legs to stand on."

Edward walked away, followed immediately by the clanking of Alphonse's armor. Eiryn made a quick stop to put her hand on Rose's shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her before she, too, walked away from the ruins of the Church of Leto.

From a distance, she glanced back at Rose, looking up to the sky, tears filling her eyes.

* * *

><p>AN: and there you go, 2nd chapter. Most of the dialogues were taken from the manga for this one, so excuse whatever inconsistency it has with the anime.

Now, I gotta warn you with this. Update will be completely sporadic. I was never good at making sure I follow schedules. Deadlines just make me procrascinate really hard, even Mustang might have to fight the urge to shoot me. It just makes me feel lazy. Other people work betrer under pressure, unfortunately pressure makes me go all 'meh' and become unresponsive. So I'll just do this according to my mood and post whenever I feel like posting.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And please leave a review! It makes me feel happy and motivates me to write more!


	3. Life-Sewing Alchemist

3. Life- Sewing Alchemist

"... you mean it talks? A chimera?"

Colonel Roy Mustang nodded at his subordinate's question. "Right. Supposedly. But it only said one thing. 'I want to die'."

Edward, Alphonse, and Eiryn stared in silence. Die? A chimera so smart it could understand human speech had a wish to die? Why?

Roy's eyes shifted to look outside the window's car. "After that, it refused to eat until it got what it wanted."

The siblings exchanged glances at one another. This could be a good lead, true. But the talking chimera, wanting death so badly it practically committed suicide? They prayed that nothing bad will happen, now.

* * *

><p>"This is my library. Feel free to look around."<p>

The three Elrics stared ecstatically at the rows of bookshelves. It was nothing compared to Central Library, of course, but for a private library it was pretty big. They could hardly contain their excitement.

"Alright, let's dive in! I'll start with this shelf," Edward announced, taking a book from said shelf giddily.

"I'll try starting over here," Alphonse picked a shelf on his own, picking a book of his own choosing. His voice betrayed the excitement that his metal face couldn't show.

Eiryn didn't say anything, of course, but she knocked on a shelf, clearly indicating the territory she chose to work within. Edward gave a grin to her, and Alphonse a thumbs up, before the three simultaneously flipped the books they held in their hands and began reading.

"I'm going to head back to work now," the colonel announced. "I'll send somebody by to get you this evening." His words went unnoticed, and he realized the three siblings were already too far gone in whatever land they chose to study in. He gave a huff and smirked. But inside, he was somewhat pained. Seeing them reading like this, he suddenly realized just how young they really were. How normal the activity made them look.

"They've got some ability to focus. I'm not sure they even know we're here anymore," Tucker commented lightly. His eyes glinted. "Quite a catch, these three. Such prodigies." His eyes wandered to Eiryn, who had now slid down on the floor and read the book casually, as if she was reading a sappy teenage romance novel instead of an in-depth biological alchemy book. "I'm surprised the girl is also reading, however. I thought she wasn't an alchemist?"

Roy shook his head. "No, according to her explanation she is also able to transmute, but not as well as her brothers. But the human transmutation they did made her feel scared. She hasn't done any transmutation since, if I'm correct, but she always helps her brothers' research."

"I see," Tucker nodded quietly. "They seem very dedicated indeed." He fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment before saying, "Colonel, Sir? I don't think you'll need to send someone over. They can stay for the night. That way they can immediately continue their research in the morning."

"Are you sure, Mr. Tucker?" Roy asked reluctantly. "I understand that you have a daughter to take care of, and having these kids here may be a bit inconvenient for you."

Tucker shook his head. "I assure you, it's all fine. I'm sure Nina will be happy to have someone to play with anyway."

Roy nodded after a moment. "Well, if you say so." He turned and walked away, followed by Tucker. "I apologize in advance for whatever inconvenience my subordinates may pose, Mr. Tucker. Oh, and I mean to remind you about the assessment that you need to do soon."

Tucker nodded grimly, something that the colonel wasn't aware of since he was walking ahead of the alchemist. "Of course. Rest assured, Colonel. I remember."

* * *

><p>The day they spent reading and playing with Nina was honestly tiring, and Eiryn was grateful that Tucker was kind enough to let them spend the night in his residence. Even more so when the next day he offered the same thing for the night, because their research hadn't really gotten far. And it gave them more time to play with Nina and Alexander, and it was especially good for Eiryn because she liked seeing her brother buried under the massive white dog. It was a nice change, not to mention just simply hilarious. Edward had always had that effect with dogs, be it the big ones or the small ones. Alphonse and she, herself, attracted more cats than dogs.<p>

What she found most delightful of the hospitality Tucker offered wasn't really the convenience of access to the library her brothers might have preferred. Oh no. She was all for the bed. Because the bed in Tucker's household was springy to the touch, with its sheets soft and clean and pleasant, and oh how she loved the feeling they gave to her skin after she snuggled into the bed in minimal clothing after bath. She loved it because of how different it was to the hard beds of the military dorms and the creaky beds in old, cheap motels the siblings stayed in whenever they accompany Edward on his missions. She felt guilty, sometimes, knowing that Alphonse couldn't feel the luxury of sleep the way she and Edward could, but fatigue always won in the end, and sleep was always welcomed.

That was why she was royally pissed when someone woke her up in the darkness of the night.

She cracked her eyes open irritably and waved whoever woke her up off, wanting nothing but to resume her sleep. But she stopped when she caught a glint of silver in the dark, and she realized that it was, in fact, Tucker who had woken her up. She sat up groggily, staring at him questionably, before realising that she was only wearing her tank top and panties. The gratefulness she felt for the blankets covering her!

Tucker put up a finger on his lips, asking her to stay quiet. She glanced to the bed Edward was occupying, and realized that Alphonse was nowhere to be found. _Must be in the library_, she reasoned. She gazed back to Tucker. He motioned, asking her to follow him, and she nodded. She gave gestures to show Tucker that she needed to dress before she could come, and he nodded, going away to give her some privacy. Silently, Eiryn wondered why Tucker would wake her at... 3.30 AM. The sun wasn't even up yet. _This might be important_, she thought to herself as she slipped on her miniskirt and trademark black jacket. She thanked whatever higher being existed out there that Edward was a heavy sleeper. If Tucker woke her up instead of Edward and even asked her to be quiet so not to wake him up, there must be something serious. And possibly it might make Edward emotional. With him having such short fuse, it could be bad for him.

After putting her choker in place, she silently walked barefooted towards the door, and soon she was following Tucker into the basement, near his library. The library doors were closed, but she could see light seeping from the cracks. Well, now she was a hundred percent sure Alphonse was there.

When she entered the basement together with Tucker, everything was dark. She looked around quietly, knowing that this was the room Tucker used to keep his transmuted chimeras. The smell, it was rather telling. She sighed. Sometimes, she wondered if those animals felt pain when they were transmuted.

The sound of door being locked behind her made her whirl. A lamp was suddenly switched on, and she blinked blearily, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. Tucker approached her and said, "I'm sorry to wake you up at such early hours, Eiryn. But I need to ask you something. I need help."

She looked at him in confusion. Help? From her?

"As you know, my assessment day is today. I need to transmute something to make sure I can keep my certification. But I need to make sure my equations is correct. Will you help me?"

Eiryn took the small notebook and pen she kept in her jacket and wrote down, "Big Brother Ed and Al is better than me in this. You should ask them instead."

Tucker shook his head. "I can't. Edward is a State Alchemist, himself. It would be unfair if he 8has to help my assessment. And Alphonse, well... I just feel that this isn't something he can help me with. I have a feeling that he will tell Edward everything. But you... I think I can ask you another favor to keep silent about this?"

Eiryn wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but she nodded anyway. She wasn't confident with her skills, but she would help Tucker however she can. It was for Nina, too.

And so the next three hours was spent in discussions - mainly written by Eiryn and whispered by Tucker, and at some point both agreed that it would be easier if only Tucker knew sign language, silently calculating the equations Tucker had made and reviewing his transmutation circle over and over again. They didn't need to worry about Edward because he wouldn't wake up before nine, at the very least, and Alphonse wouldn't check up on him until then, and so he wouldn't leave the library. Tucker had also assured her that she didn't need to worry about Nina, so she didn't ask. He was her father. He knew her better than she did.

Soon, they were done with the renewed transmutation circle, and the look of gratefulness in Tucker's face was enough for Eiryn to pay for her exhaustion. She wanted to go back to sleep, nevermind the time, but not before seeing the transmutation Tucker would perform. She was excited. How would the chimera look like? Would the equation be good enough? What would Tucker transmute?

The Life-Sewing Alchemist walked to the far back of the room, uncovering the cage that sat there, and Eiryn froze with shock. In the cage, Alexander and Nina were sleeping peacefully. And then the fear and realization struck. _They were the materials._

"It breaks my heart," said Tucker, "but I need to do this. Don't worry, Dear. They'll be a fine chimera, I'm sure of it. But I need more of your cooperation. In case they didn't make it... I'll need another material to use."

_She was the spare._

Eiryn bolted towards the door, knowing that she needed to tell someone, but was unable to open the door. It was locked. Tucker had it locked. Was this why? She opened her mouth to scream and remembered that she couldn't. She cursed inwardly. Out of all the things Truth could have taken as a price, why was it that It chose to take her voice? Damn. Damn!

Her hands moved and she pounded at the door. Noise. Any noise whatsoever. Anything that might alert Alphonse, he was nearby!

A prick on her neck. A spreading numbness and creeping darkness. Eiryn felt herself falling towards the floor, but someone caught her and lowered her carefully before she could crash like a ragdoll. She felt herself being cradled, and in her panic she realized it was Tucker. Such unfairness that his hold felt so warm even though his eyes looked so cold.

"I'm sorry, Eiryn," she heard him spoke. "I can't afford to lose my certification. Please understand..."

And darkness obscured her sight.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Al, have you seen Ryn somewhere?"<p>

Alphonse managed to look worried despite the lack of facial expression his metal face held. "No, I thought she was with you, Brother."

Edward shook his head. "She wasn't. Her bed was already empty by the time I woke up. I just assumed that she was with you..."

"Maybe we should search for her," offered Alphonse, closing the book he was reading and putting it in the shelf behind him.

"Already did. She's not anywhere upstairs, not in the kitchen or dining room, not in the toilet. This floor is the only place I haven't checked." Edward cupped his chin in his automail hand, "I haven't seen Nina, Alexander and Mr. Tucker, either. Maybe she's with them."

"Should we check Mr. Tucker's work room?" asked Alphonse, to which Edward nodded. They walked together to the room near the library, silently wondering where the other occupants of the house were.

When they reached the room, they knocked on the door. "Mr. Tucker, are you in there?" Edward called.

"Mr. Tucker?" Alphonse called again when they heard shuffles in the room.

They heard the sound of soneone unlocking the door, and soon it swung open. Mr. Tucker stood there, looking exhausted, but relieved and happy all the same. "I did it, boys. I finally did it. A chimera that understands human speech." He opened the door wider and let the boys step in. "Let me show you," he said, stepping away and kneeling beside a dog-based chimera with long brown hair and seemingly empty eyes. "Listen to me. That person over there, it's Edward."

The chimera immediately responded, "That person... Ed... ward."

Tucker smiled and patted the chimera. "Yes, that's very good! Well done!"

Both Edward and Alphonse were speechless for a while, their problem forgotten. "That's... amazing," Edward said when he found his voice, "It can actually talk!" He knelt next to the chimera, marveling in its ability to talk.

Tucker chuckled, his voice full of relief. "Now I don't have to worry about losing my certification." He stood up, almost victoriously.

"That person... Edward," the chimera went on as it moved its head to look at Edward. Edward felt a smile bloom in his face. The chimera knew he was 'Edward'. "That person... Edward. That person... Edward." A slight pause. Then, "Big Brother... Ed."

Silence. Edward took a sharp intake of breath, dread filling his chest. Big Brother? The chimera recognized him not as an 'Edward', but as a 'Big Brother'?

Edward kept his eyes locked on the chimera. "Mr. Tucker?" he called. "When did you get your state certification again?"

"Let's see," Tucker said thoughtfully, "it was two years ago."

"And when did your wife leave?"

There was a slight pause before Tucker answered sadly, "That was two years ago, too."

"I just have one more question for you." Edward said before he glared at Tucker with eyes that seemed to be ready to kill. "Eiryn, Nina and Alexander, where are they?"

Alphonse gasped in shock. No... surely Brother wasn't suggesting that...?

But Tucker's response was more than enough to confirm it. "Damn brat, figuring it out so quickly!"

And suddenly Edward was a blur of red and gold, pinning Tucker to the wall with all his might. Alphonse's surprised cry of 'brother!' was ignored. "Oh yeah. I figured it out. You did it again! Two years ago it was your wife. And this time..." His breath hitched. "Tell me. I'm sure Alexander is the base. But the human half, the half that understand speech, the one that makes all your dirty work so much easier... is it Nina? Or Eiryn? Or both?"

A faint cough and a thump. All eyes darted toward a cage covered with cloth. It gave a rattle, and Alphonse quickly uncovered it. He gasped in horror when he saw his little sister lying prone in it. "Eiryn!" he called, quickly opening the cage and pulled her out, cradling her gently in his metal arms. Eiryn forced herself to stand up, however. Her hair was tussled, her clothes crinkled, and she swayed on her feet dangerously. She looked disoriented, but she looked around with wild eyes, and then her sight locked to the chimera. She took a deep breath, swaying once more, before Alphonse steadied her.

"You used your own daughter to make a chimera," Edward said, voice dangerously low, "just so you won't lose your certification?"

"I don't see what you're so upset about," Tucker said quietly. "Your sister is safe. This is how we progress. Human experimentation is a necessary step. I would think a scientist would understand."

"SHUT UP!" Edward screamed. "Do you really think you can get away with this? Messing around with someone's life like that... Your own daughter!"

Tucker gave a chuckle that soon changed into a laugh. "Someone's life, you say?" he asked. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Something struck Edward's heart.

"Look at you, Fullmetal Alchemist. Look at your leg." His eyes involuntarily glanced away. "Your arm!" Another glance. "Your sister! Your brother!" He realized what had struck him. Dread. Realization. Recognition? "Those things are also the result of messing around with someome's life, aren't they?"

"PSYCHO!"

He lost it. He threw a punch, right at Tucker's face. The glasses sitting on his nose fell and broke. Edward panted, scared and angry all the same.

"We are the same!" Tucker went on anyway. "We're the same, you and I! You're just like me!"

"No, we're not!" Edward denied it strongly, but he was scared all the same. _What if they were?_

"Oh, but yes we are!" Tucker yelled at his face. "The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it. We had to, even though we knew it was against the rule!"

"No!" Edward denied it again, throwing a punch. "Not me... Alchemists don't... I'm not... I'm not...!" Punch after punch were thrown, him barely realizing what he was doing, until suddenly a hand stopped him.

"Brother," a voice called, and Edward realized with a start that it was Alphonse. "If you keep this up, he'll die."

Edward deflated immediately, swaying just like Eiryn did, but kept his stance. He backed away as Tucker slid down the wall to the floor, and he realized that Eiryn was sitting where Alphonse had been cradling her earlier, staring at the chimera with a hollowed look. He dropped next to her, and she immediately gripped his flesh arm with cold hands, trying to find comfort in his warmth.

"It's not possible to get things done without dirtying your hands..." Tucker muttered from where he sat slouched, and Edward tensed.

But it was Alphonse that spoke. "Mr. Tucker," he called, and suddenly he was the very embodiment of the calm before the storm. "If you keep talking, this time I'll be the one to lose it." After he was sure Tucker wouldn't say anything anymore, he knelt before the chimera. "I'm sorry. Even with all our power, we can't do anything to change you back. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"Can we play now?" the chimera responded, seemingly unaware of the heavy atmosphere in the room. "Can we play now?"

Eiryn gave a choking sob, but she refused to let her tears spill.

Edward yelled.

* * *

><p>AN: this one's longer than the previous two chapters. Took much longer to write, too. But I'm happy at how it turns out.

I really like writing about this one though. I think it might make the Elrics even more guilty and sad because, hey, they spent the night at Tucker's. And they still couldn't save Nina. (Yes, I'm evil that way.) But seriously, it was both incredible and horrible to write. I cut off the interactions between Nina and the Elrics mostly to stop this from getting too long, but it's also a way to stop myself from being reduced into a mess of tears while writing. Because what happened to Nina was just simply horrible. I don't cry easily but I couldn't stop the tears in this episode.

Now, I don't watch the 2003 anime so I don't know about how exactly the events transpired in that one. Is it similar? Is it not? I hope not. I'd like to have the teensiest bit of originality, if possible. Even in fanfictions...

And please, I'm pretty sure the review button is waving at you. So be kind a click it, leave something in there! Pretty please?


	4. Falling Apart Still Alive

4. Falling Apart. Still Alive.

The rain fell heavily on her head, but she paid it no heed. Her hood was up, but by then it was already soaked, she was drenched to the bone, and what's a couple more hours in the rain anyway?

She heard Edward contemplating about alchemy, and Al about his metal body, but it felt like they just passed through one ear to exit through the other. Her mind was locked to the thought of what Nina had become.

A corpse, really.

But what she was thinking about was her chimera form. How she came to be one. Eiryn was there. She didn't see the process, no, she was unconscious. But that time...

_"I'm sure they will be a fine chimera..."_

She clenched her fists. A fine chimera indeed. The scene kept repeating over and over and over again in her head, each with a different ending. What if she had fought Tucker instead of running away like a coward? What if she did run away, but managed to alert Alphonse? What if she had woken up Nina and Alexander, instead? What if she had tricked Tucker, and brought him down before the tragedy had occured?

What if she had declined to help right from the start?

But what was the point of those what ifs? That was all they were going to be. She buried her face in her arms, simply feeling the rain in her skin, wishing that she would be sick. That a divine punishment would fall down on her.

And fall down it did.

She was yanked from her thought when suddenly she heard Alphonse's cry of "Brother!", sounding so alarmed that it was simply wrong. She jumped to her feet, landing next to where Alphonse stood, holding a dazed looking Edward in his arms. Edward, once recovered from his shock, created a wall between them. And then the wall exploded.

She looked up to see the face of the one who attacked them. Dark skin, strong jawlines. Eyes obscured by a pair of sunglasses. An X-shaped scar in his face. Beyond the sunglasses she could feel his eyes glaring down at her brother, and fear gripped her heart. This man wouldn't hold his punches. He would kill Edward for sure.

They needed to run. They had to run. But her voice wasn't there to be used to alarm her brothers, and her body was locked with fear of the man's hateful eyes, fear of what he would do to Edward. Her brothers, too, seem to be locked in the same state.

And the clocktower they had been sitting under chimed loudly. Edward broke out of his stupor, yelling, "Quick, run!" And run they did.

Thank all their lucky stars (not) that the man decided to give pursuit instead.

"Damn it, what the hell is this guy's problem?!" Edward thought aloud as they worked their legs to flee. "Making enemies isn't something that I... well, I never really avoided it..." Eiryn threw her brother a look that went unnoticed. "But there's no reason someone should be trying to kill me!"

They turned to an alley, making a mad dash to a hopefully more populated area and hoping the man wouldn't attack in public, as well as trying to reach Military Headquarters sooner.

But of course the man managed to block their escape path with rubbles.

There was no other way. Edward chose to go offensive. Both he and Alphonse charged right away, while Eiryn took her handgun from its holster and took aim. But before she could shoot, the scarred man and moved, and suddenly Alphonse was _broken, fallen, her mighty and strong armor-for-a-brother was helpless..._

And she cried silently in anger. Her fingers moved, firing a single round aimed towards the man's head - _How dare you do this to my brother_ - but he was too fast. He danced away from the bullet gracefully, and suddenly he was in front of her, arm stretching and hand gripping, and her gun was ripped from her fingers and thrown away. Before she could do anything, she was swatted like a fly, and her body sailed through the air, hitting the wall of the alley with such force. She lay down on the ground, ignoring the dirty water pooling in there, dazed. Unable to move. Unable to even lift a finger.

"Al, Ryn!" Edward screamed in worry. Then anger replaced the worry. He charged at the scarred man without thinking twice, screaming "bastard" at him, sword he had transmuted raised up in the air.

The man caught his arm. Alchemical lights danced, litting the alley, and suddenly Edward was thrown back with such force. The scarred man gave a noise that Eiryn supposed something akin to surprise.

"Dammit," Ed spat, discarding his coat for freedom of movement. His automail arm glinted in the light. Eiryn shook her head as she watched the scene, trying to clear her head, wanting to help, somehow. She glanced to Alphonse. He hadn't uttered a word. His glowing orbs of red were fixed to their brother.

"An automail arm," the man noted. "No wonder my human destruction didn't have any effect on you. You guys truly are something else."

Edward ignored his imploring musings and transmuted his automail plating into a blade.

"No, Brother, stop," Alphonse said, trying to drag his half destdoyed body closer to Edward. "You should run."

"You stupid brother. I'm not leaving you behind!"

The man, however, ignored the exchange and instead noted, "So you place your hands together to create a circle and use the circulated energy to transmute."

Edward gave a cry and charged forward.

"Then, in that case..." the man caught Edward's arm swiftly. "I just need to destroy this arm first!"

Blue alchemical lights. The automail shattered to pieces, and once more Edward was flung backwards. His face held the disbelief and shock, emotions displayed oh so obviously. The pieces of automail flew in the air, a rain of metal in their own rights. Alphonse called to Edward. Eiryn wished she could do the same.

Edward landed unceremoniously on his butt, staring at his destroyed arm, still not able to grasp the reality and the severity of the situation. Slowly, his eyes went up to meet the man's covered ones.

"Now, you can't use alchemy anymore."

Almost unconsciously, Edward inched away from the man, but his missing limb threw him off-balance and he crashed to the stony road.

"I will give you time to pray to God," the man said as he walked closer to Edward's lying form.

"Sorry, but I've got no God I want to pray to," Edward informed, ignoring Alphonse's screams to run away.

Eiryn struggled to her feet. Her gun. Where was her gun?

"Tell me," Edward said, "Is it just me that you want? Or are you going to kill my siblings, too?"

"I will kill them if they decide to interfere," he answered. "But today, you are the only one to receive judgement."

"All right," Edward resolved with a tone that made Eiryn's stomach clench. _Gun! Gun! Just where the hell is that sorry piece of junk?!_ "Then promise me that you won't touch them!"

His words temporarily froze Eiryn. Alphonse gasped, whispering a soft "Brother..."

"I will keep my word," the man said, and once again she was sent into a frenzy to find her gun. Sure she could fight in a hand to hand combat, but she wouldn't be able to fight him, he was too fast and powerful for the girl to oppose. Her gun was the only option she had left.

"Brother, what are you saying?" Alphonse still seemed to be unable to grasp that Edward had given up. "What are you doing? Brother, get up!"

Scar walked ever closer to Edward. Right then and there, he was the very embodiment of Alphonse and Eiryn's fear to lose their older brother, their anchor, their protector, their family. Alphonse was still screaming for Edward to get up, to quickly run away, leave him and Eiryn behind. He needed to survive.

Eiryn's eyes finally caught a gleam of silver. She dove for the gun.

"Brother! Get up! RUN!"

She grasped the gun in her hands and took aim, and -

BANG.

She gasped in surprise. That wasn't her.

She moved her head to check, and relief flooded her when she saw Colonel Mustang standing there in the rain, a gun in his hand, pointed to the sky, barrel still smoking. Hawkeye and Havoc were with him, along with numerous military personnels.

"That's enough trouble you've caused, Scar," the colonel said, still with gun high in the air. "You're under arrest for the murders of multiple State Alchemist, as well as attempted murder of another and a couple of civilians."

Their exchange went ignored by her. Edward. Was he alright? Her eyes stared at her brother's form, still lying on the ground. But he was alive. He was still breathing. He was there, he didn't die. And the man the colonel called Scar was leaving him. That was good, even though Edward was still sprawled there helplessly. Relief washed over her, and she found her knees buckling and she fell on her butt. The feeling was almost crippling.

"...chemist, Alex Louis Armstrong!"

She looked up to see the muscle man challenging Scar. She ignored that, as well. Edward, she had to make sure he was alright.

She didn't need to. A soldier had taken care of him. Silently Eiryn prayed for the soldier's good health, fortune, and long life.

"...THE LAW OF THE UNIVERSE!"

The voice of Major Armstrong broke her from her reverie. She looked up, only to shudder in surprise when she saw that the alchemist had, once again, discarded his shirt and worn an epic pose, completed by the tell-tale sparkles.

"Did he have to strip?" Hawkeye muttered helplessly.

"Are you surprised? He's clearly insane," Havoc responded, just as helpless.

Scar didn't seem to mind, however. He seemed downright pleased instead, and had engaged in a battle with Armstrong soon after he found out the alchemist's identity. Surprisingly, Scar was strong enough, fast enough to dodge and counter the blows. He managed to even outrun Hawkeye's bullets - a feat achieved by virtually no one. Eiryn put her hand up and aimed. She had a feeling that she wouldn't need to, but just in case.

But then the truth was revealed. Scar was an Ishvalan.

Eiryn's mind was sent whirling at once, remembering everything she had read about Ishval. It's location in barren wasteland. Its people, with dark skin, red eyes, and white hair - exactly the characteristics Scar had. How they hold their religion as sacred and refused alchemy as a result. How a child had been killed and sparked a full-blown civil war. How countless alchemists were called to help the extermination of all Ishvalan.

Scar sighed. "Just as I thought... I'm at a disadvantage against this many opponents."

Mustang brought up his hand to signal his men. "Hold it. You're not thinking you can get away while surrounded like this, do you?"

Scar scanned the crowd before his hand dove to the street and created a large, gaping hole to the sewers, to which he disappeared into quickly.

Eiryn tensely stared at the hole. He wasn't going to reapper, was he? She hoped not. She didn't want to have to see those hateful red eyes again, so thristy for vengeance, for blood. Edward's blood. It scared her.

"Oh, is it over now?"

The voice of Lieutenant Colonel Hughes gave a wave of relief, somehow. His presence had always made Eiryn felt better. He had an air about him that automatically calm people's nerves and replace it with amusement, or doing the exact opposite: aggravate them so bad they felt like shooting him. Now, it was the former.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, where have you been this whole time?" Armstrong asked in genuine curiosity.

"I thought it best to lay low." Hughes had the decency to look absolutely serious, and even somewhat proud to say that.

"You didn't think about _maybe_ backing us up?" Mustang questioned him, sounding pissed, hand twitching.

"Of course not!" the seriousness in Hughes' voice went up a notch, and bordered on being offended. "A person like me shouldn't get dragged into a freakshow with you pack of pseudo-humans. It's bad for my health!"

Edward's head twitched up, and he turned to Alphonse. "Oh no... Alphonse!" All eyes were on him as he ran to the hollowed suit of armor. "Al! Alphonse! Are you okay?"

Seeing both her brothers there, battered and hurt, suddenly brought sense to Eiryn that said _they're alive they're fine it's all over_. Relief washed over her once again, so overpowering this time. Her hands that had been aiming her gun at nothing for a while now were dropped, and the gun slipped from her fingers and fell with a loud thwack.

Then after the relief came anger. Ed, the stupid shrimp! What was he thinking, offering his own life to save Alphonse and her? Did he even think of their feeling at all? What good would dying give anyway?

Apparently, Alphonse thought the same.

"Stupid Brother!"

A punch to the face. Edward was thrown back, more because of shock than because of the force. Alphonse growled and began yelling, "Why didn't you run when I told you to?! What kind of idiot are you?!"

"No way!" Edward yelled back, flesh hand on his cheek. "I'm not just gonna run away and leave you two behind!"

"Which is exactly why you're an idiot!" Alphonse yelled again, more forceful this time, once again delivering a punch to Edward's face. Eiryn watched silently, hands placing her gun back in its holster, and she strode closer. She noticed that some military personnels had started to stare, but she didn't care in the very least.

"What do you keep punching me like that for?!" Edward protested. Then he saw Eiryn, and he yelled, "Hey, Ryn! Help me knock some sense on Al here!"

Eiryn ignored Edward's words and instead slapped him hard on the cheek that was still intact. Edward yelped in pain, staring at Eiryn with a mixture of hurt, confusion, and helplessness while Eiryn moved and signed with her hands, _Idiot Brother! You should've run when Big Brother Al told you to! You should've listened!_

"Not you too!" Edward groaned miserably. "If I had run away you coulda been killed, you know that?!"

"And maybe we wouldn't have been! Making a decision to die is something only an idiot does!"

"Hey, easy on the 'idiot' stuff. I'm still your older brother, got it?!"

Alphonse grabbed a fistful of Edward's collar. "I'll say it all I want to!" he shouted at his brother's face. "Survival is the only way, Ed! Live on, learn more about alchemy! You can find a way to get our bodies back and help people like Nina. You can't do that by dying! I won't allow you to abandon the possibility of hope, and choose a meaningless death!"

With a clang, his arm fell off.

"Oh, great! Now my arm came off because my brother's a big fat idiot!" he screamed in frustration, ignoring Edward's dazed face. Edward turned his head to look at Eiryn, who responded by signing, _What he said. You're a big fat idiot._

Edward finaly gave a sigh. "Heh. We're really falling apart, aren't we, Brother, Sister? We look like we belong in a junkyard."

"But we're still alive," Alphonse responded quietly as Eiryn crouched down to collect his fallen arm.

"Yeah..." Edward's voice was only slightly above whisper. "We are."

* * *

><p>AN: update! Yay!

I had a bit of trouble writing this one, and I'm glad at how it turned out. This isn't as long as the one before, but oh well.

And I just now realized that there are so many episode of Brotherhood. Not all of them I will have an idea to work on. But I'll be glad if someone can give me prompts to gauge my creativity juice, so please feel free to pitch ideas in!

And, well. Now that winter holiday has arrived there are two poasbilities of what might happen. Either I will write nonstop and create neverending updates, or I will be so busy watching anime that I end up not doing anything productive. But hey, being able to watch 12 episodes of anime a day has got to count as something, right?

Last but not least, review please! I draw my strength from them.


	5. A Time Long Past

5. A Time Long Past

_"You sure have been busy, haven't you, Hohenheim? Three children in three years."_

_Hohenheim frowned at Pinako's teasing remark. Ah, the old fool. Never one to give the proper response to jokes. "Please don't say it like that, Pinako. It's not like we plan to have three children in three years or anything."_

_"Well you have three now," Pinako said. "Deal with it."_

_The frown deepened. Hohenheim was silent._

* * *

><p><em>"It's alright for you to touch them, you know."<em>

_Hohenheim froze, hand still hovering above Edward's head, eyes staring at the sleeping child. Alphonse was sleeping peacefully with his back on the wall, and Eiryn had squirmed between the two. Despite their mother's wishes to keep them on separate beds, the three stubbornly slept on the same bed, resulting in the present tangled mess._

_"They're your children after all."_

_Hohenheim stood up, turning to see his wife. Trisha smiled gently at him._

_He was silent._

* * *

><p><em>"Someday I'm going to be old and wrinkly like a monster, myself. But that's fine. No matter what I ended up looking like, if we can still take pictures of all of us smiling together, I'll be happy."<em>

_Trisha's eyes met his. "So please, stay with your family. Don't be distant... Don't leave us alone."_

_Hohenheim stared, wondering just what was the point of this lecture. He held Edward somewhat uncomfortably, afraid of somehow hurting the innocent, smiling little boy while Trisha held both Alphonse and Eiryn in her arms like the expert she was._

_"And don't call yourself a monster." She turned her gaze to the camera. "Dear," she sighed, voice tender, "smile."_

_And Hohenheim cried._

* * *

><p><em>"Brother..."<em>

_"Go 'way Al..."_

_"Brother, please... I need to go potty..."_

_"Mmm... fine..."_

_"Big Brother? Where...?"_

_"Just to the toilet... Back to sleep, Ryn..."_

_"Wait... Coming too..."_

_Three pairs of little feet stumbled in the corridor, going out of their room. To their surprise, they saw their parents standing by the door, Hohenheim dressed in suit and carried a suitcase._

_"Edward, Alphonse, Eiryn... What are you doing at this hour?" Trisha asked kindly, crouching to their height._

_"Al needs to go potty," Edward answered sleepily while Alphonse nodded by his side. Eiryn hung on Edward's sleeve, fighting the sleep that had started to grip the three children._

_"And of course you have to take care of him. That's my little man," Trisha patted Edward's head and the boy smiled, a mixture of pride and happiness in his face. Then he looked up at his father, half expecting something similar - a praise, a proud nod, a smile at the very least. But there was none. Hohenheim's eyes looked cold, almost like a glare. His gaze was steely, and so many emotions flashed in there. Things Edward couldn't understand. He blinked the sleep away wondering if he had done something wrong, a cold feeling settling in hia stomach._

_Eiryn let go of his sleeve and stumbled forward to Hohenheim, arms outstretched, but the man turned and opened the door. In no time he was out, and closed the door behind him without looking back, casting his family in darkness. _

_Eiryn's arms fell by her sides. "Papa didn't give goodbye hugs," she muttered._

* * *

><p><em>"Ed, Al, Ryn? Where are you?" Trisha opened the door to Hohenheim's study, finding the three children in there. Alphonse and Eiryn were huddled together reading the same book while Edward sat calmly near them, hand holding a chalk and drawing on the wooden floor.<em>

_"Oh, you kids," Trisha sighed. "Are you in here messing up your dad's study again? And Ed, you know better than to scribble on the floor."_

_"Yeah, but it's not scribbling," Edward said. "Here, watch."_

_Crackle and flash. Blue alchemical lights lit the room. A wooden bird stood in the center of the circle, seemingly teasing the stunned Trisha._

_"Oh my," was all that Trisha managed to say when she finally found her voice. "That's alchemy, isn't it? Did your dad teach you that?"_

_Edward scowled. "How can he teach us anything if he's not here?"_

_"Right," Alphonse agreed. "We read about it in these books."_

_Trisha's eyes widened. "You understand those difficult alchemy books?"_

_Eiryn shrugged, eyes still glued on the text. "Somewhat."_

_"I can't believe you kids have done this..." Trisha took a deep breath. Those books were complicated enough that only trained alchemists could understand them, and these children, barely even nine, managed to do just that? Expert alchemists would cry._

_"I'm sorry... Did we mess up?" Edward asked, downcast. Alphonse, too, looked down sadly, afraid that they had done something wrong. Eiryn looked up at her mother, more curious than sad, and Trisha knew that Eiryn was prepared to question just what they had done wrong._

_"No, no!" Trisha said hastily to wipe the frown in her sons' face, clapping her hands merrily. "It's great! You definitely take after your father. My little geniuses, you make me so proud."_

_The three children's faces broke into a wide smile._

_"But now I want you all to tidy up this room. I won't stop you from reading books, but you have to keep everything tidy at all times, okay? Now let's see how you return that floor to normal, Ed, and then we'll scrub the floor together, all four of us!"_

_The smile broke into scowls and the children's groans came out together, like a choir._

* * *

><p><em>"Mom, we can't sleep..."<em>

_Trisha sighed at her three children. "Oh, you guys. Surely you'll fall asleep soon. This is already late!"_

_"But we can't, Mom," Eiryn pouted._

_"Can you sing us a lullaby, please?" Alphonse asked sweetly. "It'll help us sleep."_

_"Yeah, a lot!" Edward agreed readily, nodding his head vigorously. The three children huddled together in their too-small bed, staring at Trisha with expectant eyes._

_Trisha sighed. "Alright, alright... Settle down, kids."_

_They laid their heads on their pillows and smiled as their mother started singing melodiously, _"The full moon shines and the stars are bright. Baby, baby, sleep you well tonight..."

_Eiryn closed her eyes and joined their mother's singing softly._

* * *

><p><em>"Al, Ryn! Quick! Mom's waiting back home!"<em>

_"Calm down, Brother! You know she's going to wait for us before starting dinner."_

_"Wait, Big Brother Ed! Don't run too fast!"_

_Three children ran through the dirt path to their home, eager to see their mother again, eager to see her smile. She hadn't been very energetic lately, and it worried the siblings. But Mom was alright! She was fine. She promised them she was okay. So she had to be fine. Right?_

_They opened the door, only to be greeted by the sight of their fallen mother._

* * *

><p>Edward came through the door, calling out an "i'm back" quietly, before he stopped dead at his track, staring in horror at the crying muscle man in front of him.<p>

"Oh, Edward Elric!" Armstrong began his long speech of Edward's nobility And his love for his mother and how he amired it, and Edward looked ahead to seek his siblings, eyes screaming _what the hell is going on?_

"Granny told Major Armstrong everything," Alphonse explained. "He'd already gushed over me and Ryn. But I think Ryn will be fine." Edward's eyes wandered to the couch, where Eiryn lay sprawled and unmoving, looking at him with eyes that looked almost dead. She waved at him and signed, _Major Armstrong hugged me earlier. _Edward winced at that, knowing just how painful the muscle man's hug could be.

His attention was brought back to Armstrong when he ripped his shirt to reveal the bulging mucles underneath. Edward screamed to him to put his shirt back on. And soon the commotion was doubled with the arrival of an angry Winry waving her wrench around.

The chaos was surprisingly familiar. Pinako smiled, yelling, "Alright now! Time for dinner!"

Funny how the chaos changed into order in less than five seconds.

* * *

><p>As soon as Edward had been fitted with the automail, he had sprinted outside to fix Alphonse, with Eiryn watching from the side with strangely detached eyes. And soon after that, the three began sparring.<p>

"Why are you fighting?" Armstrong couldn't help but ask.

"I'm combining a performance check for the automail with some sparring," Edward responded.

"And because I wasn't able to move my body for a while, I need to resrore its sense of feeling," Alphonse added.

Eiryn smiled, carefully dodging her brothers' attacks as she signed, _And I haven't been sparring for a while. I don't want to get flabby, our teacher will be mad!_

"That seems like a very strict teacher."

Alphonse's eyes darted to Armstrong. "Wait, you understand sign language?" he asked. Eiryn and Edward, too, were eyeing the man, though they kept on sending flurries of attacks. Eiryn had signed thoughtlessly without contemplating the possibility of Armstrong understanding (or rather, _not_ understanding) the voiceless language. She hadn't signed at all during their train ride, and whenever they met in military headquarters before their exchange had only been nods and polite smiles.

Armstrong's eyes glinted proudly, a pink sparkle appearing. "It's nothing. After all, the art of understanding languages, including sign language, has been passed down in Armstrong Family for generations!"

Edward snorted.

Armstrong took a few moments to study the three siblings. Alphonse's fighting style seemed to be the most grounded, strong on defense. He was obviously taking full advantage of his tireless and senseless body. He took the full brunt of the attacks without flinching, and his own offensive strikes seemed heavy and powerful.

Edward, on the other hand, was faster and more aggresive. He jabbed and jumped, moving quickly and efficiently. Though the boy hated to be called short, he was using the stature to his full advantage.

But Eiryn. Armstrong really hadn't expected her fighting style to be quite so... aerial. She was faster than Edward, surprisingly, but Armstrong suspected the boy was slower simply because of his automail. And the girl was clearly acrobatic. She was lithe, her body twisting to avoid attacks, before she would launch to the air of drop to the ground to deliver hers. She adapted everything to her advantage. Armstrong had seen her using Edward's back as a stepping stone in order to launch herself to the air, and she had also stepped on Alphonse's chest plate to dart her way to Edward. It was almost dizzying, watching her jumping up and rolling and kicking.

"Hoho," Armstrong exclaimed at last. "Truly magnificent show of combat abilities! If this fight is meant to train your bodies to perfection, then I shall also help!"

Needless to say the fight had ended in a way none of the Elrics had expected.

* * *

><p>Pinako stood by the window, calmly watching the alchemists in her yard sparring. She snorted in amusement at the thought. Sparring. More like three frightened children trying hard to run away from an overly passionate man. The moment he discarded his shirt Edward and Alphonse had screamed, and Eiryn didn't even bother with being shocked, she simply jumped over Alphonse to flee. Unfortunately for the young girl her brothers were intent that if they had to suffer Armstrong's craziness, she had to as well. Pinako smirked, turned and headed to the kitchen, knowing that they would seek food once they were done.<p>

She paused in front of the board filled with photos. Most of them were pictures of the children growing up, but scattered in there were also the pictures of the adults of Elric family and Rockbell family. Van Hohenheim was present in only one picture.

Pinako's eyes rested on the picture of Trisha. "Your children have grown quite a bit, Trisha," she muttered. "Ed's still a mini shrimp, but they've grown. Maybe a little too fast. Their journey is obviously still far from over, too. But they're strong, all of them. They'll pull through. I'm sure they will."

She resumed her pace to the kitchen. "I hope they can find happiness soon."

She could have sworn she heard a woman agreeing with her.

Well that's just silly.

* * *

><p>AN: I've been wanting to write the throwback to the past thing for so long. And especially about the first part when Pinako teases Hohenheim for being busy. I mean, Ed and Al are only a year apart, and I always feel that Ryn shouldn't have her age too far apart from her brothers'. So, yeah, Hoho-papa sure had been busy alright.

Consider this chapter a Christmas gift from me. I was planning to post it on a much later date, but then I felt generous.

And reviews please? It'll be a wonderful Christmas gift for me!


	6. Chaos in the Laboratory

6. Chaos in the Laboratory

Human lives.

That was what made the Pilosopher's Stone. Human lives. No wonder Dr. Marcoh had told them not to pursue it. No wonder he had called it the devil's research.

To think that they had been looking for it, all this time, without knowing the secret...

Second Lieutenant Maria Ross found herself wondering just how the kids were feeling right then. From the looks lf it, they weren't having fun. Edward sat hunched on the floor, fist balled and pressed to the cold tiles. Alphonse was by his side, armor rattling as he clutched the papers so tightly they crumpled pitifully. Eiryn stood by the window, overlooking the town, eyes strangely detached and hands hanging limply by her sides, but from the tightness of her jaws Maria knew she had been grinding her teeth.

"Please don't let anyone know about this..."

The request made Maria's head snap towards the boy. What? They've just figured out something big, something important, something that all alchemists should know to prevent them from finding, _creating_, Philosopher's Stone! And he wanted them to keep quiet?!

Apparently her partner felt the same, because he quickly gave a reluctant "but...!"

"Please!"

That tone almost made Maria flinch. The desperation, the fear. All so painfully clear. Was this how a child was supposed to sound?

"Please... just act like you've never heard this..."

Eiryn closed her eyes, looking almost defeated.

* * *

><p>"Brother, you should eat. Eiryn, too."<p>

"... I'm not hungry."

"..."

Edward sighed. "I'm tired of this. Just when we start thinking it's within our reach, it runs away from us. It keeps going on like that." His automail hand was hovering above his face, fingers stretched in hopeful pursuit. "But now..." The fingers clenched. "...when we finally got a hold of it, it turns out that it's not something that we should be chasing, after all." The automail was pulled to Edward's face, metal arm pressed on his forehead. "Looks like God really hates people who broke his rules."

His question sounded so broken, hopeless. "Are we gonna spend the rest of our lives like this...?"

Silence hung in the air. Heavy. Suffocating. From her place on the bed, Eiryn pulled her legs and hugged them close to her chest, face buried in knees, wondering if they really, truly had hit the ultimate dead end.

"Hey, Al?"

Slowly, Ryn lifted her head from her knees, wondering what Edward was going to talk to Alphonse about. Was it private? Should she go away? But she was their sister, what did they had to keep from her?

"There's something I've always wanted to tell you, but... I guess I was too chicken to say..."

A creak, metal against metal. "What is it, Brother?"

Eiryn stared.

"Al, I - "

The sudden noise outside their door prevented the siblings to continue their conversation. Edward stood up straight in his spot on the couch.

The door swung open. Major Armstrong came in. "I HAVE COME, EDWARD ELRIC!"

Edward and Alphonse's scream almost sounded like a duet.

* * *

><p>The maps were spread. All eyes stared, studying the lines and squares, streets and buildings. Discussions ensued. Explanations given.<p>

The prisoners were used as the ingredients for Philosopher's Stone.

Eiryn felt sick. They were prisoners, sure, but they were people. Living, breathing humans. Just who would be so heartless to tamper, play with the lives of others?

_"I'm sure they will be a fine chimera."_

_"We'll bring Mom back."_

_"Have you figured out all the equations, Brother?"_

_"Big Brother Ed, Big Brother Al, we need more carbon!"_

Eiryn gagged, feeling so sick, so disgusted. Wasn't she the same? She pressed a hand to her mouth, feeling her stomach knotting, flipping, churning. Something cold touched her back, and she jolted before realizing that it was Alphonse, rubbing her in a soothing motion. She calmed down immediately.

Her eyes were glued on the maps, and she ignored the conversation around her. She eyed the position of the laboratories. They seem to create some kind of a shape, for some reason.

Then it clicked. A circle, or a pentagram, with the Military Headquarters standing right in the middle lf it. She blinked, still staring. Now that she thought of it, Amestris was all about circles. Central city was round. The country itself was round. Everything was round, almost creepily so.

_What a funny coincidence._

The maps were rolled, and Eiryn was snapped out of her thoughts.

"You cannot ask Brigadier General Gran about this. He was murdered by Scar the other day," Armstrong said, map in hand. "I'll ask the higher-ups about this for you." He straightened up. "Until then, the second lieutenant and sergeant are to keep quiet about this!" Both Ross and Brosh straightened to salute. "And the Elrics are to stay put!"

"What?!" Edward and Alphonse cried, and Eiryn would have joined if she was able to. As a gross replacement of the yell, bulging eyeballs were in place.

A slight pause, then Major Armstrong was upon them, eyes glinting dangerously, "You were thinking of investigating this, weren't you?!" He huffed like a buffalo. "You will not! Even though there may be a chance of getting back your bodies, a child should not go to such dangerous place!"

"We won't, we won't!" both Edward and Alphonse yelled, arms flailing in panic. Eiryn, in the background, nodded her head vigorously until her neck ached.

* * *

><p>"Like hell we won't."<p>

The siblings ran through the night quickly, swiftly, towards the fifth laboratory. Once they got to the corner of the road leading to the fifth laboratory, they peeked toward it, looking ahead to see if it was safe for them tl go ahead. Edward smirked when he saw a yawning guard standing in front of the gate. "A guard placed in front of an abandoned building. Yeah, not suspicious at all."

Quickly, they went to the side of the building, where Alphonse helped Edward jump up and reach the high wall.

"I don't want to admit it, but at times like this, I'm glad these aren't my natural limbs," Edward whispered as he broke the thorny wires meant to keep trespassers away and lowered it to the ground.

"Yeah, me too," Alphonse whispered back as he took the wire. "Hold on to me, Ryn. That's the only way for you to get to the other side without bleeding."

Eiryn threw him a disapproving look before climbing to Alphonse's back.

"Ryn, we told you you can stay in the hotel if you want to," Edward sighed from above.

Eiryn shook her head stubbornly. She didn't like sneaking like this, but she hated being kept out of whatever her brothers were doing even more. It almost never happened, luckily for the girl.

With a practiced ease, Edward jumped from the wall and landed lightly on the ground, quickly followed by Alphonse. As soon as the armor touched the ground, Eiryn climbed down his back and stretched. The three quickly searched for a way in, only to find the entrance sealed.

"Argh, it's sealed shut," Edward groaned. Eiryn tapped his shoulder and pointed at an air duct. Edward soon was standing on Alphonse's shoulder, opening the duct.

"Looks like this will lead straight to the center," he noted. "Alright then. Al, Ryn, you wait here. I'll go see what's inside."

"Are you sure you'll be fine alone, Brother?" Alphonse asked, helping Edward climb into the duct.

"It's not about being fine alone. You won't fit here anyway."

"It's not like I asked to be in this body..." Alphonse whined. Eiryn wanted to come too, but Edward gave her a stern glare.

"Stay," he said to her without leaving any room for argument. Eiryn wanted to protest, but she knew that look. Arguing wouldn't work. Her only option was to be a good girl and obey her brother. With a huff, she plopped down on the ground next to Alphonse.

Minutes passed. Both Alphonse and Eiryn stayed still and silent, not wanting to create any noise or movement in fear of attracting anyone that might feel suspicious enough to check. When they made conversations, they did so using sign language, as carefully as possible to reduce whatever creaking sound Alphonse's armor could create. But one thing was sure, they both stayed silent mainly because they were anxious for their brother to return.

At one point, Eiryn decided she couldn't take it anymore and stood up, staring at the airduct, and motioned Alphonse to help.

Alphonse was stunned for a moment, before asking, "Are you planning to go after Brother?"

Eiryn nodded in certainty, eyes shining in stubbornness and something akin to finality. Alphonse gave a faint gasping sound and whispered harshly, "Are you crazy? No!"

Eiryn immediately began signing. _We both know how Brother tends to be! I'll just keep a lookout. If I can't find him I'll come back soon. I'll be fine, I promise_.

Alphonse shook his head repeatedly, creating that grating sound of metal loudly. Eiryn immediately grabed his arm to jerk him back to reality before signing again, _What problem will be there anyway? I'll be with Big Brother Ed, he'll keep me safe. And I have my gun, as usual. I'll be totally fine._

Alphonse sighed and signed back, _If you get hurt I'll make sure you get no dessert ever again._

Eiryn gasped lightly in mock horror before grinning and signing, _No promises, but I'll be safe, really. And Brother, please don't use food to threaten people! That's just seriously low._

Alphonse couldn't help but gave a small chuckle. With that, he helped his little sister climbed into the airduct and once again resumed waiting, hating the fact that while the armor made him physically invincible it could also leave him completely useless and vulnerable for the upteenth time in his short life in the steel.

* * *

><p>Eiryn wriggled her way in the small space, feeling thankful for her small stature. Any bigger and it would be really difficult for her to navigate her way here. In slight amusement, she wondered if Edward thought the same.<p>

The airduct went on and on, stretching forever in darkness. With all the lack of light around her and the feeling of cold metal surrounding her, she began to feel afraid. Something in her urged her to turn back and go back to Alphonse, but she ignored the sensible part of her and trudged forward all the same.

Her ears caught the sounds of metal clanging up ahead, and she couldn't help but gave a small gasp. Was that Edward? That had to be. Who else was that if not him? She wriggled forward again with renewed vigor.

Then a bright light suddenly blinded her from below. She scurried backwards, for once thankful for her lack of voice, because if she did have voice she would have screamed and she knew it wouldn't end well for her. After taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, she peered down to see what was going on down there.

"That Fullmetal kid sure is a handful," a voice said, grumbling and yet laughing at the same time.

"Quite," a female voice agreed. It sounded melodic and sultry in Eiryn's ears, but it also sent shivers down her spine for some reason. "And the others are quite troublesome as well. Gluttony, you said you smelled her somewhere here?"

A third voice, childish and hungry, answered, "Yes! Somewhere here. Can I have her, Lust?"

"Well, considering that she isn't a likely candidate I suppose disposing her is not a bad decision. You can have her, Gluttony. Now, then, Envy, we need to find number 48. That noisy clanging must be his doing, with his love for swords and all."

"Right behind you. Deal with her, Gluttony."

Eiryn bit her lip, gulping a bit. She peered down, trying to see what was going on down there, wanting to know if it was safe for her to go ahead. The small square, crisscrossed with steel, wasn't wnough to give her a decent vantage point. She shifted around, but still she couldn't see anything. With a deep, calming breath, she resumed her crawl towards Edward.

And then an explosion came from below.

Concrete smashed to bits and danced around her. The chunks hit her body without mercy. Dust obscured her view. She lost her footing, and for a second she floated in the air together with the blown steel and concrete. Then a grubby hand took a hold of her left foot and gravity finally kicked, pulling her under without any concern for her safety whatsoever.

She crashed to the ground, feeling the harsh floor embracing her with its hard surface. The concrete rained down on her, each chunk and piece stabbing her like a knife. She pried her eyes open, not realizing she had even closed then in the first place. She froze.

Standing upon her was a man with bulgingly big stomach and round face, his head seemingly connecting to his shoulders without a neck. His round eyes shone with childish glee, and a wide, wide smile adorned his lips. A line of drool escaped his mouth, and Eiryn had to frown in disgust.

"Now stay still," the man said, and Eiryn noted that his voice sounded like a five year old's. "Just let me eat you."

Eiryn's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. She didn't believe the man would actually eat her, but she knew he would attack her. So she twisted her leg in such way that he let go of it and quickly rolled away.

"Aaah! I told you to stay still!" the man whined, and suddenly Eiryn couldn't see him as a childish man anymore. No, this was a child, an overgrown one, with the mindset of a little kid but twisted morals. He ran towards her with a speed that was surprising considering his size, and she quickly whipped out her gun.

She didn't have the chance to use it. The man lunged towards her and slapped the gun away before she could even aim properly, and while doing it also twisted her wrist. She gasped in pain, mouth open in silent cry, scurrying away in panic. The man stubbornly chased her, and she jumped back to keep their distance while trying to find a way out.

She could try the door, of course. She lunged towards the enormous door, crashing to the wood, pushing. When she failed to open it, she tried pulling. And still the door wouldn't budge. She was locked in. Eiryn's mouth formed a silent curse. What was with her and locked doors, anyways?

"Will you just stay and be a good girl so I can eat?!" the man grumbled as he lunged again. Eiryn jumped away just in time to avoid his grubby hands. She scanned the room desperately, realizing that her only way out was the airduct. But how would she be able to reach the ceiling? Did she have to fight after all?

The man opened his mouth wide and jumped towards her once more, and Eiryn's mind was sent whirring at once. She couldn't dodge forever. She had to escape, but she most likely would have to fight him first. She could try to negotiate, of course, but she doubted he would understand sign language or would be willing to wait her write down all of her sentences. So that left fight as a choice, as much as she hated to do it.

But fighting was also hard for her. The man was strong, and he had speed rivaling Edward's, as well. She was faster than Edward, but the man, she suspected, had more stamina, judging from the way he moved. If only she had another weapon at her disposal...

Alchemy. Maybe she could do alchemy. She was like Edward, after all, she could just clap and made a stone wall and everything would be fine. Her hands moved fast, creating a motion that looked as though she was going to pray. They stopped, however, only an inch apart.

_"We can bring Mom back."_

_"Ready, you two?"_

_"No... What have I done...?!"_

_"ALPHONSE!"_

Black spindly arms, reaching, racing. A humanoid in the middle of a transmutation circle, too monster-like to be an actual human. Edward, lying sideways with his leg gone. A pile of empty clothes, Alphonse's clothes.

_I can't do it._

The sound of gleeful yell brought Eiryn back to reality, and she was shocked to see the man was just ahead of her, mouth open and teeth bared. She jerked sideways just in time to avoid being swallowed alive, but her right arm wasn't safe from the threat. While the man didn't manage to actually take a huge bite of her, the force was enough to break her arm with a painful crack and to her horror, white bone tore the flesh and greeted the sight. As the pain ripped, Eiryn gave another silent cry.

The man licked his lips whichwere smeared with her red blood, giving a hum as he tasted the liquid. He looked strangely pleased with himself. Eiryn shuddered. Just how would someone, anyone, have that look when tasting another's blood? Was he a vampire? Did he really inted to eat her?

A sudden boom shook Eiryn's mind from its horrified stupor. The building quaked and her panic intensified tenfold. She had to get away, she had to get away, one way or another she needed to get away!

The man was looking at the door with childish confusion, muttering, "Uuuh? But Lust said I'll be able to eat peacefully... Lust never lies."

Eiryn suddenly realized the man was standing just below the hole of the airduct. Bracing herself, she dashed toward him and used his head as a foothold to reach the airway, partly in desperation and partly for taking a chunk of her flesh. She ignored the man's yell and wriggled inside, moving as fast as she could to the night air outside.

The building shook even harder. Her panicked wriggling quickly turned into desperate clawing. Anything, anything to reach outside. She had to be quick. Move, move, move.

A sudden boom and she felt the building lurch. Dust and sprinkles of sand and concrete fell overhead. Small chunks of stones landed on her back. Below her stomach, a small hole formed as more and more of the building broke down and fell to the ground. Her mouth formed a silent curse. Adrenaline rushed in her ears, and the pain was momentarily forgotten as she clawed her way outside. She could feel the change in the air. Fresher. She could see a faint light from out there. She just needed to get out...

Her hand reached outside, followed by her head. To her surprise she saw Edward slumped against Alphonse, blood running down his face from an open cut on his temple. Squiggling, she crashed to the ground. The building behind her was still quaking and booming, and the walls began to crack. A big chunk of concrete fell near Eiryn.

"Ryn, quick!" Alphonse yelled. "We have to go!"

"You're hurt!" next to Alphonse, Denny Brosh yelled. "Here, let me help you."

"We have to move fast or else we're going to be buried here as well!" Maria Ross, Eiryn noticed, was motioning them to move faster. "Go, go, go!"

And so the siblings and the two officers quickly made their way away from the collapsing building.

* * *

><p>AN: oh my, I didn't think it would've taken me this long.

Happy New Year, by the way! Hope you all have a good start. Got any new year's resolution? Good, hope you can follow through! (I don't have a resolution, to be honest. Too lazy to even think of one. Maybe my resolution should be "to have a new year's resolution for next year").

On a side note, I'd like to say that you're all free to make requests if you'd like. I'll gladly accept them as long as they're within my capability. Or have I said this already? I don't remember.

And leave a review! Come on, you know you want to. The review button is tempting, no?


	7. Artificial Memory

7. Artifical Memory

"IT'S NOT LIKE I ASKED FOR THIS BODY, BROTHER!"

For a moment, everything was silent. Eiryn's eyes darted around nervously, taking in the sight. Alphonse standing with shaking fist. Edward staring, eyes wide, something she couldn't identify in the golden orbs. The door had opened, and Winry stood there still, watching in disbelief.

"I didn't want to get this body..."

Eiryn nearly winced. Was this really Alphonse? Her brother didn't sound like this. He sounded strong and kind, not angry and Truth forbids, _broken_.

"Ah... I'm sorry," Edward said. "It's my fault that everything got screwed up. That's why I want to restore your body as soon as possible." He looked up at Al, desperate hope in his eyes.

"And what proof is there that you're really going to restore my body?" Alphonse asked, cold detachment in his voice.

The desperate hope was painfully obvious in his voice. "I'll definitely restore you! Trust me!"

And the way Alphonse scoffed. It sent shivers down Eiryn's spine. "Trust, huh?! You're telling me to trust what with this hollow body?!"

Eiryn stared. This outburst was uncharacteristic of Alphonse, and _him_ getting _angry_ in and of itself would be shocking to anyone, but the words that spilled out from the armor...

"Brother, you said there was something you're scared of telling me, right?" Alphonse's voice adopted a softer tone, but there was still an edge to it that made everyone in the room uncomfortable. "I think I know what it is... Could it be something like my soul and memories were totally fake?"

Edward's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

"Brother, how do you prove that someone named Alphonse Elric really existed?" Alphonse continued, sounding more and more desperate as the time went on. "Isn't it possible that everyone - Winry, Granny, everyone - are just tricking me?! Well, _Brother_?,"

Edward pounded his fists to the table. A few drops of milk splattered on the tray. The fork fell down to the floor with a loud clatter. Alphonse gasped, surprised, seemingly unable to comprehend that he had accused his brother of a sin of his existence.

"Is that what you've been holding on all this time?" Edward's voice shook, quietly ripping through the room like thunderous storm, so unlike his usual outbursts that it just felt plain _wrong_. "Is that everying you want to say?"

Alphonse stayed silent, staring, but Edward didn't meet his eyes.

And then Edward smiled. It was soft, it was tired, it was defeated, but the smile was there. "I see," he said softly, and he stood up quietly. He didn't even look at Alphonse when he walked pass Winry by the door, and he ignored her call. All eyes were on him, and the small retreating back didn't turn even once.

Eiryn stood up from her own bed and ran after her brother. She nudged and pulled on his sleeve as he walked, but he ignored her as if she wasn't there. Eiryn finaly opted to simply follow him quietly, not wanting to leave him alone.

Edward made his way to the roof almost with no voice at all, and considering how loud he usually were, Eiryn was honestly scared. She hoped he wouldn't do something stupid.

Edward settled to lean on the railings, wordlessly staring off to the sky with clouded eyes. Eiryn followed his example and leaned on the railings, but her eyes never wavered from Edward's form.

After a few minutes of silence, Edward spoke, "I'm really pathetic, aren't I?"

Eiryn's head tilted sideways in confusion.

"Most people would be angry. But me... I'm relieved. I'm a bit pissed that Al thought he's just a lie, but..." his voice cracked a bit. "At least he's not blaming me for putting him in that body."

* * *

><p>To be honest, despite knowing that day was exhausting for both Edward and Alphonse, Eiryn couldn't help but laugh at the discussion they held after the spar. So they had been fighting to determine who would marry Winry? Now that's just gold.<p>

The fact that Winry ended up rejecting made it even funnier for Eiryn.

She didn't join the fray, since her broken arm made it hard for her to sign, let alone fight.

They sat in their room, clouded in comfortable silence. Eiryn smiled. If she had to be honest, sometimes she was jealous of her brothers. She was close to them, but they were even closer to each other. There were times where they would look at each other with eyes that suggested an inner joke even she didn't know about. But seeing them together like this was much better than seeing them fight.

Alphonse had told them the reason why he doubted his existence. In response to that Edward had stood up and cracked his knuckles, looking absolutely murderous, wanting to find this so-called 'Barry the Chopper'. Eiryn, in the meantime, had found herself somehow fingering the trigger of her gun before Lieutenant Ross ripped it away from her hand and began scolding her about having dangerous weapon in a hospital and how a child shouldn't be using said weapon. Only after Edward and Alphonse told her that she didn't use alchemy and was trained to use guns by the renowned sniper Hawk's Eye did she relent, though she made Eiryn promise not to touch it in the hospital unless extremely necessary as she put it in the drawer of Eiryn's bedside table.

She glanced to her brothers, who were calmly reading books on alchemy. She, herself, had an open book lying on her lap, but she couldn't concentrate on it for some reason. She sighed wistfully and closed the book, putting it on the bedside table and laid down on her bed.

"Going to sleep so soon, Ryn?"

At Edward's question, she smiled and shrugged. Using only one hand, she signed, _Tired_.

Alphonse's fiery eyes narrowed in an expressionless smile. "Well, you'll need your rest. Sleep well, Ryn."

Eiryn gave thumbs up and pulled the blanket over her sloppily, barely even covering her body before she closed her eyes and welcomed the dark. As she began to feel sleepiness creeping to hear, she heard Alphonse's armor rattling quietly, approaching her, and felt someone covering her with her blanket properly. Almost unconsciously, she curled and gripped to the fabric, sighing contentedly.

"I was an idiot, wasn't I, Brother?" half asleep, Eiryn heard Alphonse asked quietly. "To think that I accused you of creating me. I wonder what Ryn thought when she heard it."

"Probably something along 'what the hell', right," Edward answered half-heartedly as he thumbed the pages of the book in his hands.

"Minus the cursing, maybe," Alphonse mumbled. At that, Edward laughed softly.

There was a moment of silence that hung in the air.

"Hey, Al."

"Yes, Brother?"

"Don't you ever, ever doubt your own existence again."

"I won't."

A small smile tugged at Eiryn's lips.

* * *

><p>AN: sorry for taking so long. And sorry this is short. I'm just going to leave this here because this is midnight and I need to sleep so I can get up early and go to school tomorrow. Ah, school. Cue loud groan.

Anyway, I'm currently writing another FMA fic. It's a Royai Cinderella AU, and it's also the reason why I didn't update this sooner (I got lost in the Royai world). I've written some things in my profile regarding my future projects, feel free to check that out. I intended it to be short but it's exceeded my initial goal. It's only halfway done thouh, so it might take long before I can post it.

Okay, I think I really ahould go to sleep soon. I'm only half awake right now. Being able to type this is a miracle in and of itself.

Please leave some review. It will be greatly appreciated.


	8. The Town of Dublith

8. The Town of Dublith

"This is it. Dublith."

"Yeah."

"... we're going to die..."

"... yeah..."

The three siblings were currently standing in front of a house, taking in deep breaths and preparing themselves to see their teacher. Alphonse didn't show anything, but his armor was softly rattling. Eiryn kept fidgeting and gulping, tugging at her hair in nervousness. Edward looked dead already, with face white and arms limp by his side.

"It sure wil be nice if Teacher isn't home..."

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal a large, burly man. If it was even possible, Edward's face grew even whiter as he called out weakly, "H... hey Sig..."

The man's eyes fixed themselves on him. "Edward?" he called, as if unsurem and upon receiving the young man's mumbled response he patted him on the head. "I see. You've grown a little."

"Hello... You might not recognize me, but it's me, Alphonse," Alphonse introduced himself nervously. The man's head turned to look at him before he proceeded to pat his head as well.

"I see. You've grown a lot," he commented easily. Then his eyes met Eiryn's, and she offered a weak smile. "Eiryn?" he muttered, and when he received her nod his large hand moved from Alphomse's head to hers. "I see. You've grown as well."

"Sig, is it possible for us to meet Teacher?" Edward asked. "We have some things to talk to her about."

Sig nodded. "Let me see." He casually leaned to the open window and spoke, "Izumi... the Elric shrimps have come for a visit. Do you think you can see them?"

"I'll be right there. I'm feeling a little bit better today."

Any words from the two older Elrics about their teacher being sickly was thrown out of the window when said teacher opened the door and suddenly kicked Edward in the face, successfully sending him tumbling away, and grabbed Eiryn's hand and threw her to land on top of Edward without breaking a sweat.

"Hello, my stupid pupils..." she greeted, eyes blazing as she glared at the oldest and youngest Elrics laying in a heap. "I hear you've become one of the military's dogs!"

"Um... Teacher, it's me... It's because..." Alphonse trembled, not quite sure of what he was supposed to say.

Slowly, the fearsome teacher's head turned to the armor, rage subsiding as she blinked. "...Al? Look at you! You've gotten so big!"

Alphonse moved closer, relieved that Izumi had become much more civil. "Teacher," he said, "It's good to see - WHOAAA!" the relieved words changed into surprise when Izumi suddenly grabbed his hand wrist and flipped him over.

"Your skills are rusty," she informed her three pupils as Edward and Eiryn dragged themselves closer to her.

"You've got lots of energy for someone who's not feeling well," Alphonse remarked somewhat begrudgingly.

"Not feeling well?!" Izumi sounded really, _really_ offended. "What are you talking about?! I'm perfectly - " the sentence was left unfinished when she suddenly puked blood, causing the two older Elrics to yell out in surprise.

Sig walked closer and steadied his wife. "You shouldn't exert yourself."

Izumi turned to look at her wife in the eyes. "How sweet of you to worry, dear! Thank you!"

Edward, Alphonse, and Eiryn could only watch helplessly as their teacher and her husband was lost in their moment, not wuite sure of how they should respond to it.

"Ah," Izumi suddenly turned to them, causing them to tense up in a brief moment of panic, wondering what kind of beating she was going to give them. "Eiryn, why are you so quiet? You're usually pretty chipper. Are you sick?"

Eiryn turned to look at Edward.

It was Alphonse who answered. "Actually, Teacher, it's a bet she and Brother made. You see, she talked a lot during the train ride and Brother felt annoyed. So they made a deal; if she can stay silent fof the rest of the day Brother will buy her a really fancy dinner. If she can go on even longer than that, the passing day will add to the amount of fancy dinner Brother owes her!"

Eiryn gave a grin and stared at Edward, who scowled deeply. She formed a plan to really take that fancy dinner Alphonse had just made up later on.

Izumi gave a laugh. "Really?! I won't bother you too much then, Ryn. Share some of that dinner for me later on, will you?"

Eiryn gave her a thumbs up and stared at Edward in anticipation. He sighed. "This must be the worst decision I've made in my life... Alright."

Izumi gave another bark of laugh. "Now let's get in. We have some catching up to do."

* * *

><p>"You idiots. It's okay to hurt..."<p>

As Izumi pulled the three siblings into her embrace, a chorus of "I'm sorry" and "Please forgive us" escaped the two older ones' lips. Eiryn simply bit into her own, unable to speak up her own apologies.

For the first time in years, sandwiched between metal and flesh, she allowed the tears to fall.

* * *

><p>"... huh?"<p>

Eiryn turned to Alphonse, who was sweeping the front of Sig's butcher shop while she wiped the glass window. She gave him a questioning look.

"Just who is it that's throwing litter so carelessly like this..." Alphonse half grumbled as he picked a crumpled paper by his feet. He straightened it up and froze.

Then, suddenly, he let the broom in his hands fall to the ground. He stared at the paper without moving. Curious, Eiryn carelessly dumped the wet cloth in her hand into the bucket of water she put next to her and stood to see the paper in Alphonse's metallic fingers, but he suddenly turned and marched away with that booming clanks of metal. Although startled, Eiryn quickly ran after him.

"Sorry, Ryn, but you better go back to Teacher," Alphonse said, voice somewhat quiet. Eiryn shook her head stubbornly and kept her pace. "Ryn, I mean it. Go back now." She glared at him as a response. "Alright then. Suit yourself," he said with a huff.

They went through series of winding alleys and stairwells before reaching a shady-looking area. Eiryn was grateful that she had Alphonse by her side. Seeing a humongous suit of srmor was intimidating, and no one dared to approach them.

Alphonse stopped by a bar, where three people sat waiting. "There you are. About time," one of them said. "Brought a friend over, didn't you?"

Alphonse ignored the jibe. He showed them the paper he had picked up. "'We know your secret. Meet us at Devil's Nest if you want to talk'," he read. "I'm guessing you're the people who wrote the note?"

"That's right," said the man again, "And we know a lot about you."

"Well that's good, 'cause there's a lot about me that I don't know."

"Then I'm the guy you want to talk to. Why don't you come with us?"

"But my teacher always say, I'm not supposed to go with strangers." Ooh, Eiryn knew this tone. Alphonse was feigning innocence. This should be good. She quickly pulled a suitable mask, herself. A face full of uncertainty and timidness. Inside, she was holding back a laugh.

"Uh, how old are you?" the man asked again.

"Fourteen," Alphonse answered. "And my sister here is thirteen."

"Fourteen and thirteen. Well come on then, I think that's old enough to think for yourself. You gotta act like an adult, start making decisions on your own."

"You think so? I should think for myself?" Alphonse's tone sounded innocently excited, but Eiryn knew better. Make decisions on their own? Been there, done that, for years.

"Yes! And you can start by coming with - " Whatever word he was planning on saying next was left forgotten when Alphonse's foot introduced itself to his face.

"So I thought it over for myself and I decided I'll just going to make you tell me what I want to know," Alphonse said, putting on a stance. Eiryn whistled, thinking, _My brother is so cool._ She held up nine fingers to him.

"Ryn, is this really the time for you to be scoring appearances?" Alphonse asked helplessly. "But nine is much better than Brother's usual score... I'll take what I've got."

The bulky man whose size seem to rival Armstrong's stood up. "So it's come down to force," he noted.

Eiryn wasn't entirely sure of what happened next except for that the only girl in the trio had somehow managed to get inside Alphonse (she wondered briefly how it felt for Alphonse) and the big Armstrong-sized man had thrown Alphonse to the ground and pinned him there. In the fray she had stood still in surprise, but seeing her brother on the ground, she quiclly whipped out her gun.

Only to get tackled from behind.

"Sorry, but I'll be taking that," the other man said as he took the gun from her fingers. He pulled her hands to her back and tied them tightly.

"You aren't normal people... are you?" Alphonse asked, realization dawning.

"Nope," a voice said from behind them. "And they happen to work for me."

Eiryn twisted her neck to see a man wearing black. Well, he certainly did have the 'leader' air around him. The way he walked, the way he talked, so full of confidence and certainty of himself.

"This is a really dangerous weapon for you to be holding on to, young lady," he commented as he picked her gun from his subordinate's hand. "Do you even realize how scary guns can be?"

She scoffed. Of course she knew. Hawkeye made sure she did. She wouldn't be carrying it around if she didn't know the danger it posed.

"Can you even use it?"

She glared at the newcomer, snarling in anger and indignation. Like she was going to walk around carrying a weapon she couldn't use?

Surprisingly, he laughed. "I like this one. Well now, let's go in. We'll talk inside."

The man that tied her hands carried her under his right arm easily, and the huge man hefted Alphonse to his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and Eiryn allowed herself a moment of awe at his strength. They entered the bar, going beyond the racks full of alcoholic beverages and into the inner chambers. Soon they reached their destination and the siblings were out down on the floor.

The leader opened up Alphonse's helmet and gave an impressed 'ooh'. "You really are hollow," he remarked. He smiled at him. "I'm called Greed. Let's be friends."

Alphonse looked up to glare at him, but he stopped. "That's an ouroboros tattoo," he noted, and Eiryn's mind was sent whirling, remembering her own encounter with the chubby, cannibalistic man with an ouroboros symbol on his tongue. She closed her eyes shut and turned away, trying hard not to remember the fifth laboratory, any words that the man was saying going ignored,

Her attention was brought back when the big burly man swung his hammer at Greed's head, effectively cutting the upper half off. Blood splattered. Alphonse gasped, Eiryn kicked and jerked back, hitting the wall. Alphonse was mostly speechless from the shock, but if she could scream she would have.

"Wh... what did you do that for?!" Alphonse screamed, red orbs burning into the perpetrator's gaze.

Eiryn flinched when the body on the floor that shouldn't be moving anymore suddenly held up a finger and stood up with virtually no effort, watching in a mix of horror, surprise, and curiosity as his skull, organs, muscles, skin and hair grew back. She took a deep breath and realized that she was shaking.

Greed smirked, so full of confidence, as if he hadn't just been bludgeoned at the head. "That's one death for me," he said easily like it was a daily occurence for him.

And Eiryn finally found herself mulling over to his words, ones he was currently speaking and the words she ignored before. A homunculus - _how was that even possible _- a group of chimeras - _but Nina_ - wanting immortal body even though he was already more or less invincible. She understood that his name was Greed, but for Truth, just how greedy could this man be?

"I told you my secret," the man stated, and demanded, "Now tell me yours. How do you transmute a soul?" His eyes found hers. "Do you know, little girl?"

She didn't even need to think. She shook her head. Edward was the one who did it, not her.

"It was my brother who transmuted my soul, so I don't know anything," Alphonse amswered after a moment of thought.

"Well then we'll just ask him," Greed grinned easily.

"It was my brother but he's not... here now..." Alphonse's voice trailed off, and he looked down to the ground. Eiryn sighed and looked away, knowing exactly what he was thinking. If Edward was here they wouldn't have to tangle with this mess. He would kick their ass before they could do anything and probably had them answering his questions, too. He could be very... convincing... with his quite questionable methods.

It seems that Greed and his group had misintepreted his silence, however, since they began muttering, "Do you think I asked something insensitive?" and "Well, they are still kids inside, after all. They might still be sensitive about it." And then Greed turned back to them as began, "Well, I don't know how to say this..."

The big man with the hammer was the one that continued. "Cheer up. Okay?"

Eiryn and Alphonse shared a look. What did they do to make these people think Edward was dead?

* * *

><p>"YOU KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER AND SISTER AND YOU WANT TO TRADE SECRETS WITH ME?! I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU, CREEPS! SMASH YOU AND END YOU! I WON'T GIVE YOU SLIMES A THING! In other words there will be no exchange with you SCUM!"<p>

Silence hung in the air, broken only by Greed's stunned clapping.

Eiryn sighed. If she could use her hands she's score this a ten out of ten simply from the loudness and the brashness of the display alone. If she was thinking about the aesthetic, though, she's score it a three. Probably less. She glanced at Alphonse who was still staring at Edward. He was still shocked, it seemed.

"He's an idiot," the man who carried Eiryn in earlier - Dolchetto - commented somewhat irritably while he drew his sword. "So in the end we have to resort to violence again, huh."

"Don't kill him," Greed said simply before Dolchetto rushed forward.

But easily, so easily, Edward jumped in the air to avoid the blade, spun midair, and delivered a strong kick to the dog-man hybrid. As Dolchetto fell and Edward landed, Greed straightened up.

"Next," Edward growled, eyes challenging.

"Roa," Greed called. "Take the armor and go away. We'll dissect him."

What?

"And the girl?"

"Hm. She can be a good subordinate if we can win her trust, but your arms are full. I'll be the one taking care of her."

_What?!_

Roa, the big muscular man, easily lifted Alphonse up again and quickly went away, followed closely by the newly revived Dolchetto.

"Stop it right there - " Edward moved swiftly, wanting to stop Roa from leaving, but Greed stopped him easily.

"Ignorant kids need to be punished, eh?" Greed grinned. Edward reacted by giving him a kick.

While they were distracted, Eiryn tugged and pulled on her binds. She wasn't going to stay sitting down there like a helpless damsel. She was capable of fighting too!

Then, suddenly, Edwas by her side, transmuted automail moving fast and cutting the ropes binding her hands and feet. "Go after Al, Ryn," he said. "I'll catch up once I deal with this freak."

Eiryn nodded in certainty. She dashed to the door with absolute certainty. Greed was upon her in a second, clearly not wanting to let her leave so easily, but she sprung to the air and stepped over his shoulder to propel herself to the way out.

"Nice try, but she's far more acrobatic than I am!" she heard Edward exclaim.

"Is your family part monkey or something?" Greed responded. "I'd really love to have you three in my crew. Would you like to be a part of it?"

"Shut it! There's no way I'll be your underling!"

Eiryn ignored them and ran to the direction where she saw Roa ran to. She caught a glimpse of his green coat and made a mad dash towards it. Soon, she saw their backs as they ran quickly. As if sensing her presence, their speed increased.

Soon they were running through dark corridors and winding staircases, and somehow they had ended up in the sewers. Eiryn was beginning to tire, and to her disdain the two men in front of her didn't show any sign of fatigue at all. She gritted her teeth. She needed to stop or slow them down somehow. Her hand reached to her holster, wanting to take her gun, but the emptiness reminded her that Greed had taken her weapon away.

How? How? She didn't want Alphonse to be dissected! What if they touched the blood seal? What if it was broken? Wouldn't he die for real then?

Suddenly, she was reminded with a conversation she had with Izumi just the night before.

_"Why aren't you using alchemy anymore, Ryn?"_

_She didn't answer. She wouldn't be able to anyway. But her mind was alive with oh so many thoughts. How Edward lost his limbs, how Alphonse was reduced from a boy to a moving armor._

"Alchemy created that abomination!"_ She remembered Granny Pinako had once said that, when talking about the thing they transmuted. She couldn't have said it better. Because it was the truth. Alchemy was scary, cruel, inhumane at times._

_"I won't force you to answer," Izumi sighed when it was obvious Eiryn wasn't going to respond. "And I won't force you to perform it if you don't want to. But Eiryn... have there ever been a moment that your life is treathened because you refuse to use alchemy?"_

_A mouth opening far too wide. "_Let me eat you."

_Reluctantly, Eiryn nodded._

_"All I'm saying is that you'll need all the weapon you can get to keep your lives," Izumi stroke her cheek. "If you don't want to use alchemy anymore, then fine. But please... stay alive."_

She snapped to the present. She didn't have her gun. She couldn't run forever. Those men clearly had better stamina than her. But she needed to stall them, somehow.

Her hands moved and stopped in front of her chest even as she was still running. Her mind was calculating relentlessly as her eyes darted around. And the equation was finally completed. In her mind it formed a transmutation circle, as well. A simple but powerful one.

She convinced herself she could do it. She should be able to.

Her hands clapped together and created an echo that shouldn't have been as loud. Both Dolchetto and Roa gave a quick glance as the curiosity swelled, while Alphonse gasped and stared at her.

Eiryn pressed her palms to the wall of the sewers, and the blue lightning traveled fast across the wall before forcing it to mold to her needs. She had intended to make a wall much ahead of them, but her calculations were off, it seemed. Roa basically planted his face to the concrete.

"Well look at that," Dolchetto muttered. "The girl can transmute."

"Eiryn," was all Alphonse managed to say. Eiryn wasn't surprised. The last time she did a successful transmutation, she broke down crying in front of her brothers because she remembered that one fateful night.

"But she doesn't look very good," Roa commented.

Hell, she didn't feel good. Her hands were trembling, she was sweating, she felt cold despite having been running for so long. One reason was because of the transmutation, she hadn't done it for so long that it took so much energy for her to do it. And the other was because her mind was still lingering on the memories of the human transmutation. Her hand automarically went up to cover her neck. She took a deep breath and pushed the memory aside, opting to glare at the two chimeras. She then signed something, but they could only stare in confusion.

"She wants you to give me back," Alphonse translated.

"Sorry, girl, but no can do," Dolchetto shook his head.

And so Eiryn rushed forward in a manner so very alike to Edward's, resolving to use violence. She was going to get Alphonse back no matter what. She couldn't risk him being dissected.

Except she forgot that she was weakened. Dolchetto was a better fighter than she thought he was, and suddenly he was behind her, the hilt of his sword meeting the back of her head painfully.

"RYN!"

Alphonse's scream and the sound of her transmuted wall crumbling was the last thing she heard before the world faded to black.

* * *

><p>When Eiryn woke, she was dangling.<p>

This alarmed her, of course, and she struggled immediately, only to find that her hands and legs were bound. Panic shot through her, and she struggled even more in frantic attempt to free herself.

"Ryn, calm down!"

She stopped struggling almost immediately, recognizing the voice as Alphonse's. She looked up, realizing that Alphonse was currently carrying her like a sack of potatoes with one arm, and his other hand was pressing on his head strongly. From inside his metallic body, Eiryn could hear pundings and muffled yelling of Martel. She stared at him questionably.

"Dolchetto knocked you out and tied you up and brought you with us, but then he smelled something wrong," Alphonse explained. "And Greed is now fighting with the Fuhrer together with Dolchetto and Roa. They want me to help Martel get away..." the last sentence was said in a hushed tone.

"No need to be so hasty."

Eiryn went rigid with surprise. She turned her head to look at the owner of the voice, and her eyes fell to the Fuhrer himself. She gulped. He made her feel somewhat uneasy.

"You two are Edward's siblings, right?" he asked with an easy smile in his face. "Are you injured? Do you need help?"

"Uh, um... Yes. We're fine," Alphonse answered, apparently feeling nervous as well. "We can just go home by ourselves, so..."

Then, suddenly, his other arm moved and struck ahead, finding Bradley's neck. Alphonse gasped and yelled, "No! Martel, stop!"

From inside the armor, Martel screamed, "DIE, BRADLEY!" with so much rage, hurt, raw anger. Eiryn's eyes went wide, realizing that this anger, this rage... it could only be caused by loss.

Then, suddenly, Bradley's one good eye looked at the gap in Alphonse's armor. His hand moved quickly, and the sword he gripped in his palm entered the armor with deadly accurancy.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment. Then, suddenly, blood.

Eiryn couldn't process what was happening at ? Why was there blood, so much blood? Red was everywhere, obscuring her view, but there shouldn't be any reason for it to be here.

Then she heard the loud creak of the armor and Alphonse came crashing down to the ground, clanging. Bradley had somehow managed to release himself, but Eiryn ended up lying face down, Alphonse's heavy metal arm pinning her. She huffed in pain. She tried to pull away immediately, but being bound, it was hard for her to do that.

She was suddenly aware of the wetness below her, staining her white shirt red. She looked around her and in her horror she realized what had happened. Martel was dead. This was her blood. She struggled once the realization dawned, wanting so badly to get away, but the weigh on her back prevented her to do so. Her breathing quickened to short, panicked huffs.

Then, the weight was lifted and she was pulled to her feet, ropes cut in one fluid motion, and she frantically wiped her shirt with her hands in a futile attempt to clean herself, cringing and jerking when realizing that she had lnly succeded in making the red spread.

"Calm down, young lady," she heard an elderly voice say. "Calm down!" the voice repeated, jerking her none too gently when she failed to respond. She looked up to meet Bradley's cold eye, and she froze.

"Are you calm now?" he asked, voice softer now that her attention was on him. She nodded numbly. "Good. I'm afraid you can't do anything about the blood for now. You'll have to clean up later."

The sound of coming footsteps diverted Bradley's attention from her. He let go of her, and she sudenly realized that she had been leaning on him. Her knees collapsed under her weight. She was distinctly aware of the voices around her; Bradley rattling off orders to drag Alphonse up to the surface, to bring her up as well since she was obviously out of it, to clean up the sewers and to inform Edward of all this. She felt someone gently pulling her up and whispered soothing words to her ear, but she didn't say anything - not like she could, anyway.

While she was brought back to Edward, she realized that Alphonse had grown unresponsive and haven't regained consciousness since the sword found its way into the hollow armor, something that had definitely never happened before.

She wondered if Alphonse was alright.

* * *

><p>AN: so that's it, chapter 8. Longest one so far. I surprised myself when I saw the word count.

I found myself enjoying writing about Greed. It'sa shame that he died, really. I'm looking forward to write Greedling in the future chapters.

Anyway, please, please leave a review! I'm in need of constructive criticism here. I mostly just copy everything that goes in Brotherhood with some little tweaks. But if you think there is something I can improve, something I should change, etc, please tell me. I want to be able to write a much better story somehow.


End file.
